The fashion reference for upper middle-class women was Paris and prototype for men was the English gentleman and, to some extent, the Frenchman too. The tireless and meticulous handwork of many seamstresses and dressmakers required skills and abilities which are unimaginable today. All these designs were inspired by trends set mainly in Paris and London.
Generally speaking, working women could only access a limited number and type of jobs, whereby there was no such thing as coexistence between the two sexes, except in the case of family businesses. The sectors open to women were essentially sales and domestic-service; such as sardine sellers, milkmaids, shop assistants, maids, cleaners, ironers, etc.
